262 
2 L63 
py 1 



LOUIS D. WILSON 

Mexican War Martyr 



ALSO 



THOS. H. HALL 
ANDREW JOHNSON 

As He Really Was 



AND 



OUR TOWN COMMON 

FOUR ARTICLES 



BY 



GASTON lichte:nstein 



RICHMOND. VA. 

H. T. EZEKIEL, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER 
1911 



LOUIS D. WILSON 

Mexican War Martyr 



ALSO 



THOS. H. HALL 
ANDREW JOHNSON 

As He Really Was 



AND 



OUR TOWN COMMON 

FOUR ARTICLES 

BY 

GASTON LICHTENSTEIN 



RICHMOND. VA. 

H. T. EZEKIEL, BOOK AND JOB PRlKTiR^ 
1911 



am 

Author 
tfuraM) 

MN u ;, 



, L_ "Si Li G"? 






"^ 



m EMINENT SONJF EDGECOMBE 

state Senator and Volunteer Soldier — Legacy to County 

How often does one hear, "I can't remember the dates!" 
In most cases, the person speaking has made little effort to- 
ward this end. It is true that memorizing hundreds of dates 
would be useless labor to those whose lives are devoted to com- 
mercial prosperity. Yet, these same business men would find 
their hours after work more enjoyable if they possessed a 
sufficient knowledge of the world's history to occupy them- 
selves with a helpful diversion, instead of wasting their time 
in physical pleasures which are frequentlj'^ forced. 

Certain years mean more than others to individuals. So do 
they to nations. So, also, to the civilized world. Let us take 
the year 1789. In Europe, we can see the Bastille being de- 
molished and its fragments being distributed far and wide 
as mementoes. One particular relic, saved by LaFayette from 
the destruction wrought in this opening act of the mighty 
French Revolution, finds its way to America. 

Washington receives the key of the infamous prison and 
deposits it in his home at Mount Vernon, Only two months 
and a half before the fall of the Bastille, he has become the 
first President of a new nation. We now recall the inaugura- 
tion scene, on April 30th, 1789. New York is filled with joy- 
ous patriots, who gaze with pride upon a chief magistrate 
of their own choice. 

Down in North Carolina the news has hardly been dis- 
seminated when an event occurs that makes no impression, ex- 
cept in the immediate neighborhood. A child is bom in 
Edgecombe — a son destined to serve as a shining example of 
self-sacrifice for his country's honor. Without ostentation of 
any kind, Louis D. Wilson quietly makes his entry into the 
world. 



At this time Edgecombe County possessed a population that 
laid more stress upon acquiring wealth than upon obtaining 
an education. There were the cultured few, but the mass of 
the people apparently felt the need of money, so that both 
the causes of learning and religion suffered. However, the 
hearts and minds of the citizens were sound, and their neg- 
lect of spiritual and mental development may be attributed 
largely to indifference. 

In 1787, the State Legislature had met in Tarboro, Avhich 
circumstance speaks well for the town. Four years later. 
Washington spent the night there and specially mentioned in 
his diary Tarboro's reception of his party. He said that he 
was received by as good a salute as could be given by one 
piece of artillery; also, on the next day, that a niunber of 
most respectable inhabitants accompanied him part of the 
way to Greenville. The Father of his County noted that the 
town was more lively and thriving than Halifax. He noted, 
too, the exports: corn, pork, and tar. In 1803. Bishop Francis 
Asbury complains of the worldliness of its citizens, who had 
more wealth than religion. Thus we get an insight into the 
life of the community. 

As the county seat reflected the doings of the people in 
general, we may assume Louis D. Wilson received only the 
rudiments of an education and then went to work. Wheeler's 
Reminiscences state he was rather a student of men than of 
books and add the fact of his success in business. 

The date of Louis D. AYilson's entry into public life ought 
to be easily remembered. He first served in the lower branch 
of the General Assembly of North Carolina, during the year 
1815. Students of history will at once think of AndreAv 
Jackson's victory at New Orleans and Napoleon Bonaparte's 
defeat at Waterloo. Sufficiently interesting were these events 
to awaken in any ambitious breast an ardent desire to partici- 
l^ate in larger affairs and help to shape the political future 
of one's own land, at least. 

Throughout almost an entire generation Edgecombe's son 
served the State in some capacity. He remained in the House 



of Commons (as the lower branch was called) for five succes- 
sive terms. Then he was elected to the Senate for a year. 
During the next three elections, he gave way to Hardy Flow- 
ers, but returned to the upper house, in 1824, for a period of 
nine years. When it is recalled that a term lasted for twelve 
months! only, the popularity of Louis D. Wilson can be readily 
imagined. 

Hardy Flowers succeeded him again in 1833. For five 
years the Legislature was deprived of his services, but not the 
State. He sat in the Constitutional Convention of 1835, be- 
fore which many matters of importance were ably discussed. 
The most brilliant minds that could be gathered together 
within the confines of North Carolina, debated on measures of 
absorbing interest. 

After the Convention of 1835, members were elected to the 
Legislature for a term of two years. Thomas H. Hall, who 
had represented his district in eight United States Con- 
gresses, received the honor of being Edgecombe's first Sena- 
tor under the new law. How few men to-day would be will- 
ing to close their career, following sixteen years of service 
in national councils, as a State Senator! Thomas H. Hall, 
friend of John Eandolph, of Roanoke, accepted the honor and 
voted against North Carolina's reception of any portion of 
the surplus revenue from the United States Treasury. 

Louis D. Wilson succeeded Dr. Hall in 1838, and continued 
to hold office until he asked leave of absence to fight for his 
country. During this period of nine j^ears in the Senate, he 
became a favorite and won the sobriquet of the Chesterfield of 
that body. In 1842, he was chosen Speaker. Before passing 
to the dramatic climax of his life, it is worth while to add 
that his name was on the electoral ticket of 1836 and, as an 
elector, he voted for Martin Van Buren. 

Niles' National Register, published at Baltimore (issue of 
September 4th, 1847), informs its readers under the caption 
"War With Mexico :" 

"We are deeply pained to learn of the death of Colonel 
Wilson, of the r2th infanti-y. He was represented to us by 



the last arrival as convalescent, but he died the evening of 
the 12th instant. He was to have commanded the train which 
left Vera Cruz on the 7th instant. He was buried on the 13th 
instant, the following orders having been issued for the oc- 
casion. 

Order No. 34. 
Headquarters, Vera Cruz, Aug. 12, 1847. 

It is announced to this command the melancholy intelli- 
gence of the death of Col. Louis D. Wilson of the 12th Regi- 
ment U. S. Infantr}^ who died on this date. 

The escort for his funeral will be commanded by the Lieu- 
tent Colonel commanding, and consist of the 1st IT. S. infan- 
try, stationed in the city. The funeral will take place at 5 
o'clock p. m. to-morrow, to which all the U. S. na,yj, citizens 
and strangers are respectfully invited to attend. 

By order of Lieut. Col. Miles. 

W. L. Crittenden, Act. Adj.'» 

The publication, mentioned above (issue Oct. 2nd), quotes 
from the Washington Union: 

"We learn, that by his will, the late Col. Louis D. Wilson, 
of the twentieth (sic) infantry, bequeathed to the cliairman 
of the county court of Edgecombe in North Carolina, and to 
his successors in office, forty thousand dollars, to be applied 
to the support of the poor of said county. This act of charity 
is touchingly beautiful. Colonel Wilson had for years repre- 
sented the county of Edgecombe in the Senate of his native 
State. When it appeared probable that the requisition for 
volunteers made by the President on the Governor of North 
Carolina would not be met, he resigned his seat in the Senate, 
volunteered, and was elected a captain, the highest post to 
which the voice of his men could elevate him and in that 
himible rank marched to Mexico. Before marching he made 
his will, and evinced his gratitude to the constituency which 
had so long honored him with their confidence, and his chari- 
table regard for his poor neighbors, by this munificent be- 
quest. Tliere has not fallen in the service of his country a 
braver or a better man." 



North Carolinians have recognized the worth of Col. Wil- 
son, but they probably have never read an appreciation of him 
by strangers. The two extracts, just noted, cannot fail to 
awaken a degree of pride in the breasts of all loyal citizens 
who recall how the white-haired patriot, of nearly sixty, left 
his seat of dignity to participate in the hardships of the 
army. Here was a man! The United States had been 
brought into war with Mexico but political parties were di- 
vided as to its necessity. North Carolina, among other States, 
hesitated about furnishing troops. Louis D. Wilson saw his 
duty and saved the State's honor. He aroused the men of 
Edgecombe and, having formed a company of volunteers, was 
the first to otter his services to the Governor. His patriotism 
awakened North Carolina. 

His career in the United States Army was short, but he 
made his mark. On the 5th of January, 1847, he became a 
captain of volunteers; on March 3rd, he was given the rank of 
Colonel, and on April 9th, the Twelfth Infantry was placed 
under his command. A man of his age, unaccustomed to the 
Mexican climate, would be expected to feel the change from 
the delightful temperature of Edgecombe to the unhealthy 
lowlands of the Torrid Zone. He practically sacrificed him- 
self for his country. 

A monument on the Town Common, at Tarboro, stands as a 
constant reminder to all passers-by that Edgecombe had a 
son who "led all the rest'" in his day. The State, to its glor}'' 
be it said, erected the County of Wilson, part of which was 
carved from old mother Edgecombe. When the Senate bade 
him farewell, Louis D. Wilson departed with the possession 
of their deep regard. How they felt is expressed in the fol- 
loAving resolution, passed without dissent : 

"Whereas, the Senate has been informed that one of its 
members is about to leave the halls of legislation, in North 
Carolina, to assume the more arduous and perilous duties of 
the camp and the battle-field, as commander of the volunteer 
companies from Edgecombe; and, whereas, no difference of 
opinion as to the commencement of the existing war between 



8 

the United States and the Republic of Mexico should induce 
members of this body to withhold an expression of the opinion 
they entertain as to the self-sacrificing and patriotic conduct 
of the Senator referred to. 

"Be it therefore unanimously resolved by the Senate of 
North Carolina now in session, that, in separating from their 
fellow-member, the Honorable Louis D. Wilson, Senator from 
Edgecombe, with whom many members of this body have been 
associated for years in the Senate chamber, they cannot with- 
hold the expression of their high sense of his able, dignified, 
and patriotic services as a member of the Senate, and further, 
to express the conviction that in the more arduous and hazard- 
ous duties of the battlefield he will be no less distinguished for 
patriotism, courage, and never-failing devotion to the cause of 
his country." — From the North Carolina Review. 



THOMAS H. HALL 



While in Tarboro for a brief visit, during the first Aveek 
in January (1910), I was approached by an estimable lady 
of the town, a Daughter of the Revolution, for information 
concerning Thomas H. Hall. 

I had read Dr. Battle's sketch of the lawyer-poet, which 
appears in his interesting article on Edgecombe in 1810, (Our 
Living and Our Dead, Vol. 1) ; and the life of the physician 
of the same name, given in Wheeler's history of North Caro- 
lina, but these two sources Avere unsatisfactory except for the 
purpose of stimulating a desire for further research. 

Thomas Harminson Hall, the poet, must not be confoimded 
Avith Thomas H. Hall, the physician. Jeremiah Battle tells 
us that the first named gentleman possessed considerable nat- 
ural talents Avith the advantages of a grammatical education. 



He represented Edgecombe in the State Convention but never 
afterwards attempted to hold office. He was a lawyer of some 
eminence and would have been a shining character if a strong 
poetical genius had not almost led him away from his pro- 
fessional studies. His poems are now probably lost, but they 
were sufficient to form a handsome volume. 

Before leaving the lawyer-poet, I wish to emphasize the fact 
that he was quite conversant with the Latin classics. He es- 
pecially enjoyed writing satires and, often while his opponent 
was speaking in a case, he would occupy his time in evolving 
satirical verses. 

Wheeler states that Thomas H. Hall was a friend of John 
Randolph, of Roanoke. I searched several biographies of the 
famous Virginian for a verification of this bare statement, 
and, when about to give up the self-imposed task, my more 
or less patient labor was rewarded with success. 

It may be well, however, to mention that John Randolph's 
best friend from the Old North States was Nathaniel Macon, 
whose name occurs frequently in the writings of the most 
prominent descendant of Pocahontas. Randolph was proud 
of his Indian blood and displayed (so we read) certain char- 
acteristics which pointed to his aboriginal American ancestry. 

Nathaniel Macon enjoys the distinction of having his name 
hyphenated with that of the eloquent Virginian and there is 
hardly a person in this section of the State, who is not 
familiar with Randolph-Macon. The combination at once 
Suggests the Methodist College at Ashland, whose football 
team is Richmond College's bitterest rival. 

Returning directly to our subject, I desire to say that I 
hunted for additional biographical data, and, knowing that 
Thomas H. Hall had served several terms in the. national 
House of Re]")resentatives. I employed both the Biographical 
Congressional Dictionary (in connection with a dictionary of 
national biography) and an Abstract from the Congressional 
Record, My collection of sources has yielded sufficient ma- 
terial for my present purpose, which is to present a figure 
seldom heard of nowadays but one deserving a lasting place 
in the historv of North Carolina. 



10 

Thomas H. Hall, scion of a good stock, was bom in Edge- 
combe County just early enough to be a British subject be- 
cause he first saw the light of day in 1773. He received a 
classical education; then studied medicine and practiced at 
Tarboro. 

In 1817 he went to the national capital as the Eepresenta- 
tive from his District and served in Congress uinterruptedly 
until 1825. He was defeated for the Nineteenth Congress, 
but at the next election triumphed, beginning a new series of 
successes in 1827, for he continued to hold office until 1835. 

Dr. Hall's public career was truly marked, as Wheeler tells 
us "with a devotion to popular interests, a rigid adherence to 
the Constitution, and a stringent economy." 

On December 16th, 1828, he arose in the House and said that 
the resolutions he was about to present had been suggested by 
a bill, the provisions of which he believed to be unconstitu- 
tional. The resolutions, which cannot be reproduced here on 
account of the lack of space, show his devotion to the cause of 
the people, for he says therein, that the people of the United 
States, in the formation of their Govenmients (note the 
plural, G. L.) did not alienate their sovereignty. 

Exactly one year later, on December 16, 1829, Thomas H. 
Hall said (in opposition to a resolution which provided for a 
Standing Committee on Education) that in due deference to 
the gentleman who presented this resolution the subject was 
one which he conceived did not properly come within the 
control of Congress. 

"I shall," he continued, "therefore, feel myself bound to 
object to the resolution. The subject of education, evidently, 
so far as legislation can be carried to it, properly belongs to 
the State authorities. If we go on assuming authorit}'^ over 
subjects entirely foreign to our sphere of authority, where are 
Ave to end? We already have much extrinsic matter. As an 
instance, I will m.ention the subject of agriculture; over which 
we have, I believe, a Standing Committee. This, I have al- 
ways been at a loss to reconcile to my idea of the just power 
of Congress. If wo go on engulfing every subject to which 



11 

legislation can be carried, to what result must we come ? Shall 
we not effectually assume all the power of the State author!- 
ties? This must necessarily be the result. Sir, there is a 
doctrine advanced, and properly advanced, and sustained by 
the Supreme Court of the United States, a doctrine properly 
deduced from one of the plainest provisions of the Constitu- 
tion — it is, that all the powere of the Government, though 
limited, are plenary, Avithin their proper sphere. I admit 
the soundness of this doctrine; but if so, it at once puts this 
subject to rest. I presume neither the gentleman himself, nor 
any other, will pretend that the States have not the right to 
legislate on this subject. If this be so, it is decisive that this 
Government cannot, because its power over the subject, being 
plenary, is necessarily exclusive, and therefore not to be par- 
ticipated," 

Were it not for fear of extending this article to too great 
length I would gladly quote other utterances of the gentleman 
from North Carolina. But before turning away from the 
debates in Congress, I shall direct attention to the remarks of 
Dr. Hall on the general appropriation bill. 

On April 8th, 1834, an attempt to increase the appropria- 
tion, in order to secure an additional clerk for the State De- 
partment, brought forth from Dr. Hall an opinion that ap- 
propriation bills were subsidiarj'^ in their character, and the 
practices of extending them ought to be restrained. If the 
service needed was merely a contingent duty, why not pay for 
it out of the contingent fund. 

John Randolph, of Roanoke, was one of the most conspicu- 
ous figures in Congress during the early part of the nineteenth 
century and valiantly defended the doctrine of State rights. 
He was a great orator and his speeches to-day make interest- 
ing reading. 

The latter part of his life he complained much and must 
have suffered considerably. To his friend. Dr. Brocken- 
brough, he wrote a letter from Washington, November 29th, 
1828, as follows: 



12 

"My Good Friend — Your kind letter reached me yesterday, 
but too late to thank you for it by return mail. At Fred- 
ericksburg, I received such representations of the Dumfries 
road, as to induce me to take the steamboat. As there was 
only one other passenger, the cabin was quite comfortable. 
The boat is a new one. and a very fine one, and always gets 
up to the wharf. Her deck is roofed. We got here at two 
o'clock but I lay until eight. Found Dr. Hall (N. C.) here 
(at Dawson's), and this morning Colonel Benton and Mr. 
Gilmer have arrived. 

My cough is very much worse, and the pain in my breast 
and sides increased a great deal. God bless you both. Pray 
write as often as you conveniently can. Yours ever, J. E., 
of K." 

Another letter dated Washington, December 11, 1828: 

"Your letter shows on the face of it how much you are 
straitened for time. I wish I could spare you some of mine, 
that hangs heavy on my hands. In addition to my other 
annoyances, I am laboring under a severe influenza, and might 
sit for the picture of a weeping philosopher, although I have 
as few claims to philosophy as Mr. John Quincy Adams him- 
self. He rides or walks around in front of the Capitol every 
day. I have not seen him, but Hall tells me that he does very 
often, and that the sight makes him feel very queerly. "HP] 
looks," says Hall, "as if he did not know me, and I look as if 
I did not know him." His aj^pearance is wretched. An ac- 
quaintance of mine called on him a few days ago; he was 
much dejected, until some one made an illusion to Giles, when, 
in great wrath, he pronounced G"s statements respecting him 
to be utterly false; said G's memory Avas inventive. &c,, and, 
on the whole, conducted himself veiy undignifiedly." 

After serving eight terms in Congress, Thomas H. Hall re- 
turned to North Carolina and represented Edgecombe in the 
General Assembly in 1836. He voted against the reception 
by the State, of any portion of the surphre revenue of the 
United States Treasury. 



13 



He lived to the "green old age" of eighty years, dying at 
Tarboro, June 30th, 1853. Dr. Hall spent his latter years in 
retirement, having earned both the regard of his fellow citi- 
zens and the right to undisturbed peace.— From the Tar- 
horough Southerner. 



ANDREW J0HNS0NJ8 HE REALLY WAS 

Raleigh Has Cause to Be Proud of Her Native Son 



To THE Editor (of the News and Observer) : 

I read with pleasure your suggestion that the North Caro- 
lina delegation ought to urge the next Congress to make an 
appropriation to build a monument in Raleigh to Andrew 
Johnson. The people of the United States, generally, and I 
am impelled to add, the people of North Carolina, particu- 
larly, know little of Abraham Lincoln's successor as Chief 
Executive of a troubled nation. Your long editorial article 
was entertaining, but more than this, it was instructive. 
North Carolinians should Icnow the true Andrew Johnson. 

Two years ago it was my good fortune to visit Greeneville, 
Tenn. The mere fact of a former President of the United 
States having once lived in this town would have excited my 
curiosity to see whatever memorials remained and to learn 
from the inhabitants any facts of his life, gathered, either 
through i^ersonal experience with him, or from tradition. 
However, I must confess that Andrew Johnson had interested 
me little up to this time. His service to the South, in stand- 
mg against the horrors of Reconstruction had not been im- 
pressed upon my mind. But, I did remember that he had 
fallen into disfavor and had narrowly missed disgrace. 



14 

A diiferent point of view is sufficient to cause intelligent 
men to hold widely divergent opinions. It is not surprising 
to listen to a variation of details, when two persons describe 
an occurrence they have witnessed from different angles. Yet 
human beings are so constituted that they dilfer to a sur- 
prising degree even in essential matters. Stonewall Jack- 
son's Valley campaign was an extraordinary event in militarj^ 
history, but I doubt seriously whether the Northern teacher 
thinks it worth while to lay stress upon the Southerner's 
movements. Although the great Confederate general ad- 
vanced against four Federal Armies in turn, I dare write that 
the average Northerner possesses little knowledge thereof and 
would attempt to minimize Jackson's movements, if a South- 
em man endeavored to enlighten him. 

My reason for introducing the preceding paragi-aph is to 
show how a child may receive erroneous impressions which 
will cling to him during his entire life. School histories, for 
many years following the War between the States, were writ- 
ten by those who were more or less prejudiced against the 
South. Therefore, wrong ideas have been implanted. Both 
sides are revising their opinions. The descendants of Confed- 
erates and Federals need to revise their opinions of the offi- 
cial acts of Andrew Johnson. He was opposed to Secession, 
but he was also opposed to the fanatical policy of unreasoning 
Northerners. His power of speech won many men over to 
the Union side, but his sense of right did not desert him. 
He knew that the advocates of States' rights had hearts and 
intellects. He intended to act honorably. We, of to-day, can 
review his act impassionately. 

I talked to a number of East Tennesseans who knew An- 
drew Johnson persona Jl}'. They were poor men and unedu- 
cated. I wanted to knoAv how he had impressed his humble 
neighbors. Without exception, the replies indicated respect. 
One old man told me that Johnson was always the same to 
eA^erybody. that he was free from ostentation and that honors 
heaped upon him did not make him forget to be kind to the 



15 

humblest citiKcn. Another said he had heard GreeneAalle^s 
most distinguished citizen make a speech, at the outbreak of 
hostilities, which caused him to take the Union side. 

I saw the old house where he worked at the tailor's trade. 
The sign, made by himself, was still above the door. It was 
crude and bore the simple inscription, A. Johnson. Mr. Pat- 
terson, his grandson, received me at the much more pretentious 
home where Andrew Johnson lived after he had achieved 
fame. The table, on which he worked as a tailor, was pointed 
out ; also, several other relics of interest came to my notice, but 
mention of them would be out of place in this communication. 

Raleigh can be proud of her native son. Although he 
adopted Tennessee, he belongs to North Carolina. There is 
such a thing as maternal love and the love of a wife. Tennes- 
see has a right to claim him but his fiilial love was due North 
Carolina. The Bible tells us to forsake one's parents and cling 
to one's life partner, but it tells us, also, to honor parents. 
Tennessee has honored Andrew Johnson, who proved worthy 
of his second love. Will North Carolina show her apprecia- 
tion of a man whose name will become brighter on the pages 
of history because he had the courage of his convictions, in 
spite of overwhelming hostility? Will she erect a statue to 
Andrew Johnson? 



OUR TOWN COMMON 

A Rare Possession for Any Town, of Inestimable 
Value and Beauty 



Few towns of the size of Tarboro, either in North Caro- 
lina or adjacent States as well, can boast of a public park 
comparable to the Common. Its present extent is only a frac- 
tion of what was originally set apart for municipal uses, and, 



16 

if the future City Fathers are wise, they will refuse to part 
with another foot of the ground now devoted exclusively to 
all outdoor activities of the citizenry. 

A public park is intended to be a breathing space, or place 
of recreation, and in some cities of the United States the sub- 
ject of plaj'^grounds is a vital question, so much so that the 
municipal authorities are forced to pay big prices for private 
property which could have been purchased for a reasonable 
sum in early days if various village governments had pos- 
sessed the foresight to provide for the welfare of the coming 
generations. 

When Tarboro was "laid off," in 1760, it contained only 
one hundred and fifty acres, but about fifty of these, bound- 
ing the incorporation on three sides, were designated for the 
use of the town. To-day Greater Tarboro covers many times 
the original area, yet that portion, distinctively known as the 
Common, in all its spacious splendor appears small in com- 
parison with the former acreage. True it is that the town 
owns a great deal of the land along the river bank ; however, 
unless the unsightliness of much of the surrounding property 
is eliminated, the incongruity of a park, located here, would 
be glaringly apparent. Nature has favored the banks of the 
Tar, and anyone who stands on the county bridge during the 
summer when the gi-owth of foliage has attained its maximum 
can verify this assertion, and what is more, discriminating 
eyes force the onlooker to the conclusion that Nature is more 
beautiful than Art. 

In studj'ing the development of public squares, or com- 
mons, I desire to call attention to the MAEK of mediaeval 
times, defined by the Century Dictionary, as a tract of land, 
during the middle ages in England, and Germany, belonging 
in common to a community of freemen, Avho divided the cul- 
tivated portion or ARABLE MARK among their individual 
members: used the COMMON or ORDINARY MARK to- 
gether for pasturage or other general purposes; and dwelt id 
the VILLAGE MARK or central portion, or apart on theii- 
holdings. 



17 

J. Fiske, in his American Political Ideas, page 40, says: 
"The pleasant green COMMONS (notice that the letter 's' 
is added to denote the plural) on squares which occur in the 
midst of towns and cities in England and the United States 
most probably originated from the coalescence of adjacent 
mark-communities, where by the border-land used in common 
by all was brought into the centre of the aggregate." 

Referring again to the Century Dictionary. I find that the 
word COMMON is first set down as an adjective, and means, 
of or pertaining to all — that it, to all the human race, or to 
all in a given country, region or localit}'; and, secondlj'^, as a 
noun, (note the singular form) meaning a tract of ground, the 
use of which is not appropriated to an individual, but be- 
longs to the public or to a number. 

It is my opinion that the tendency of local urban residents 
persistently to pluralize COMMON in speaking or writing of 
Tarboro's public park comes from the influence of uneducated 
negro servants whose species of pidgin English has made a 
more or less permanent imprint upon the white population. 

A little thought along this line will probably bring forth 
the following facts: first, the general conclusion that impres- 
sions received during childhood will influence later life to a 
certain degree. A priest of one of our great relig;ious organi- 
zations is reported to have said in substance that if he were 
given the care of a child for the first nine years of his life, 
anybody could take him after that time. 

Secondly, the particular observation that the adult mind 
contains a certain amount of superstition, implanted by the 
nurse, which education may for the most part dispel, but does 
not eradicate completely. 

On a number of occasions I have noticed the uneducated 
negro's habit, without any apparent reason, of adding the let- 
ter 's' to words used neither in a plural nor possessive sense. 
Whatever the cause, it is a patent peculiarity. 

There h in Barton Heights, a suburb of Richmond, Vir- 
ginia, a thoroughfare by the name of Luck Avenue. One day 
I was astounded bv a negro Avho asked me to direct him to 



18 

Luck's Avenue. Also, in Richmond, a man, called Dugan or 
Duggan, has received from t.he colored people the appellation 
of Dugans. 

Even as I write, I can hear the Edgecombe name Sugg- 
lengthened to Suggs. It was pronounced in this manner by a 
young man, a former pupil of the Tarboro High School. 

Here in Tarboro one hears Zanders so often that, if my 
maternal grandfather, Gaston Zander, or George as he was 
familiarly known, (whose pracnomen I received one week af- 
ter birth), Avas alivo to-day and could mingle with the citi- 
zens of town and county as was his wont thirty odd years ago, 
at times he would be tempted to follow the prevailing fashion. 

Through the kindnescj of that genial gentleman and effi- 
cient official, Clerk John A. Weddell, there lies before me a 
typewritten copy of the Acts of the General Assembly in 
relation to the Town of larboro. 

In order to support my contention that the correct usage of 
COACVIONS applies only to the plural, when one refers to 
land devoted to public purposes, section one, of the Act passed 
November 30th, 1760, for establishing a town on the land of 
Joseph Howell on Tar River, herewith follows: 

"1. WHEREAS it hath been represented to this Assembly, 
that the land of Joseph Howell, lying on the South side of 
Tar River, in Edgecombe County, is a healthy, pleasant situ- 
tion, well watered, and commodious for trade and commerce: 
and James Moir, Lawrence Todk Aquilla Sugg, Elisha Battle 
and Benjamin Hart, have contracted with the said Joseph 
Howell for the purchase of one hundred and fifty acres of the 
said land, and have accepted and taken a deed of feoffment 
for the aforesaid one himdred and fifty acres from the said 
Joseph Howell, and caused the same to be laid off in lots and 
streets, and also a part thereof for a COMMOX (note the sin- 
gidar form), for the use of the said town, and have sold a 
great number of the said lots of half an acre each to sundry 
persons, who are desirous that a toAvn shall be establislied 
tliereon, for promoting ihe trade and navigation of the said 
river," 



19 

On the 18th of November. 178.6, in support of my claim I 
find evidence in the Act that passed the General Assembly 
entitled, "An act to establish the late survey and plan of* the 
town of Tarboro, as made and laid down by the direction of the 
Commissioners composing the body politic and corporate of the 
said town, and to amend an act entitled, 'An Act for The 
Better Eegulation of The Town of Tarboro.' 

WHEREAS it is represented to this General Assembly, 
that from the irregular manner in which most of the buildings 
first erected in the town of Tarboro have been placed, as well 
as to prevent in future the erecting of others in like manner, 
it hath been judged advisable by the inhabitants of the said 
town generallv, that the width of the streets thereof, should 
be curtailed and their limits fixed with, precision, and it being 
further represented that pursuant thereto the Commissioners 
have caused an accurate survey of the said town and TOWN 
COMMON," etc. 

Sufficient data have been produced to prove conclusively 
that Tarboro's public park should be called the TOWN COM- 
MON and, not the COMMONS. 

Let us return to the COMMON itself and ask ourselves 
whether the citizens, as a whole, appreciate its possession? 
Will they organize into a Civic Improvement League and 
beautify the park? Will they make an effort to find out what 
other communities have done along similar lines? 

By removing the Louis D. AVilson monument from the 
Court House yard to its present position and in the erection 
of the Confederate memorial through the untiring efforts of 
the patriotic daughters of Edgecombe, steps have been taken 
in the right direction. 

The writer hopes that at no distant day the present wooden 
school structures, unsymrnetrical and ill to look upon, will be 
supplanted by one modern building, durable, fireproof and 
sanitary. If he is allowed to hope farther, the new schools 
will not be bnilt on the Common, but from Lloydfield to 
Hilma will be an unobstructed stretch of landscape, save 
where the stately oaks tower above the surrounding view. 



20 

Adorn it with flowers and rare shrubs in order to develop 
a sense of the beautiful. George Henry Lewes, in his Prob- 
lems of Life and Mind, says, "Beauty, if it does not take 
precedence of utility, is certainly coeval with it." 

A love of the beautiful also awakens a higher moral feeling, 
as Lowell tells us: ""Comparative criticism teaches us that 
moral and esthetic defe<.'ts are more nearly related than is- 
commonly supposed." — From The Southerner. 



DEC 18 1911 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




014 423 670 1 



